In Washington next week, friendship committee set to seek to clarify positions to US congress

Amid suspicions in the US Congress about recent Turkish foreign policy moves, particularly on Israel and Iran, the Turkish-US Interparliamentary Friendship Group's sixth annual meeting will be held in Washington next week. The committee, set to travel to the US on Saturday, will try to clarify Turkey's recent positions during talks with Congressmen. The Turkish side is expected to argue that Turkey has no problems with the US and that ultraconservative Jews are behind recent misunderstandings. The committee and delegation are headed by Suat Kiniklioglu from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, and includes the AKP's Erol Aslan Cebeci and Cuneyt Yuksel, Emrehan Halici from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and Mithat Melen from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). "Our relations with Washington and the administration are quite good," said Kiniklioglu. "Apart from tactical differences on Iran, our positions are actually quite similar."